Place in the sun for thermal solar

Barcelona is showing the rest of Europe a powerful example with a campaign to get more of its hot water from thermal solar panels. The city authorities are mobilising all available means to this end - sorting out their own buildings, setting targets, offering financial incentives, and even making thermal solar compulsory for most new large buildings.

There are to be panels on all municipally owned buildings by 2004, and schools will get special priority “to make future generations aware of the value of renewable energy”, according to the city’s energy efficiency director, Juan Carlos López. His overall target for Barcelona -50,000 square metres of panels in operation by 2004, compared with just 2000 to 3,000 at the moment - should be enough to meet a third of the hot water requirements. Installations can qualify for grants worth about £180 per square metre from the city, the regional government of Catalonia and EU funds.

New city-wide rules now require thermal solar panels to be fitted on any new building (including industrial and commercial premises) whose hot water requirements are equivalent to more than 20 or so housing units. And that size threshold comes down by 25% in six months’ time. The only exceptions will be buildings where it can be shown that thermal solar simply could not produce at least a quarter of the necessary hot water.

Barcelona city environmental department, + 34 9 3291 4389

24 May 2001